The British general election of 1931 marked the culmination of a period of political and economic crisis, and has long been regarded as a watershed in twentieth-century British history. In the summer of 1931 a struggling Labour government collapsed; its leader, Ramsay MacDonald, stayed on to form a National government supported mainly by Conservatives and Liberals. Within six weeks the decision to call an election was taken, and in the ensuing contest the Nationals won an overwhelming victory. Labour was left with a rump of 46 MPs, a decade in opposition, and an enduring sense of betrayal.
Andrew Thorpe argues that, while 1931 changed much, the general trends towards Conservative hegemony and two-party politics were little disturbed by the crisis. He traces the background to the events of 1931, and examines their implications in detail. His scholarly analysis is the first full-length study of the election to benefit from unrestricted access to contemporary documents, and will be of value to all students of twentieth-century British politics.
Abbreviations; Introduction; From elation to despair: Labour 1929-1931; From failure to the certainty of success: the Conservatives 1929-1931; From bad to worse: the Liberals 1929-1931; A change of government; The National government and the calling of the election; Labour tries to readjust; The Parties' election programmes; Holding the line: the National Parties during the campaign; Electioneering and the media; The issues at stake; The outcome; Conclusion; Appendix I. General election results 1918-1945; Appendix II. Regions used; Bibliography; Index
